AUSXIP Erin Cummings
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Motor City Denim Co. rocks hard. The last show of Fashion in Detroit on Day Two, was Motor City Denim Co, Project Runway finalist Joe Faris’ Detroit-based project. All of Faris’ denim pieces look like they’d be right at home at a rock concert or on some really stylish bikers. Utilizing denim, leather, and a reoccurring American flag motif these pieces are totally rocker/biker/industrial chic in the very best Detroit way. They are also very accessible, and extremely wearable, especially for the Detroit aesthetic. His line will be available in stores in early 2011.

Video was shot by Colin McConnell via his Iphone. but it gives you a good idea of the debut of Motor City Denim Co.

The lovely Erin Cummings, known for her role as Sura on SPARTACUS: BLOOD & SAND, sat down under the dryer at the salon to spend some quality time gushing about her new show DETROIT 1-8-7, her new city, and what is coming up on tonight's new episode, on ABC at 10/9c after an all new DANCING WITH THE STARS.

I have to say, I really enjoy DETROIT 1-8-7. For me, it's a bit of a breath of fresh air, but at the same time, it's something I'm used to, which is nice. What originally drew you to the role and to the show?There were a couple of things. I've done quite a bit of work in the cable world and working for a company like ABC, is always something that has been a dream of mine. It's a network that's been around for a very long time. They have a very good reputation. A friend of mind, Brandon Braga, who was the show runner for FLASHFORWARD last year, and he just said really fantastic things, and other actors who have worked for ABC were always complimentary. But the show, specifically, I thought that it was exciting. Number 1, Michael Imperioli was already attached. You can't say anything bad about him. And now, having had a chance to work with him and get a chance to know him as a person, on a personal level, he has exceeded any of my preconceived notions of what I thought about him already as an actor. He's an amazing actor and even more so as a person. The opportunity to work with him and obviously ABC. Also, the show itself, I agree with what you're saying. There's a familiarity about your standard cop drama that people can identify with because they see things that are in the vein of it. The difference with DETROIT 1-8-7, it has a grit about it. The fact that it was based in Detoirt, this is the first television series that has really been about Detroit and was filmed in Detroit, so I thought it would give us an opportunity to shed some light on a city that I think is very misunderstood at this point. Having been able to live in Detroit for the past 6 months or so, I've really seen that a lot of my preconceived notions about the city were quite wrong and based on improper information that has been fed to a lot of the country. It's a lot of things, but my character, also, is very exciting. She's cool. We haven't seen a lot of Dr Ward this season, because the show is about cops, not about doctors, so they're developing a lot of the detective storylines, so every episodes, there's one little bit of information that we find out about her. Comes from a wealthy family, now works as a medical examiner, doing autopsies all day. Has a little hobby of playing roller derby at night. There are some really fun things going on with her, that as the series continues to progress for the rest of the season and hopefully subsequent seasons, there is really a lot of room for growth.

The Detroit 187 cast members, many of whom live in the city and its outlying neighborhoods, immerse themselves in the downtown art scene, charity functions and fine dining (Crave in Dearborn is a favorite), and show up at Detroit Tigers games and college football games at Michigan Stadium. Along the way, they hear firsthand how the show is making a difference in the lives of locals. "I asked one of the transportation drivers how he was doing and he said, 'I look at my life six months ago and think about how much life has changed because I have a job on this show,'" says Erin Cummings, who plays medical examiner Dr. Abby Ward. "My stand-in has three daughters. This is not just a cop show on ABC on Tuesday night. This is something that's making a difference in a city that a lot of people in America have written off as dead."

(WXYZ) - Two stars of Detroit 1-8-7 were in some of the best seats in the house for the University of Michigan homecoming game against Iowa.

Both Shaun Majumder and Erin Cummings spent the game on the sidelines, enjoying the game.

Majumder said of the experience "one of the greatest outdoor stadiums on the planet, with this many people, you just feel this energy here. It's outstanding. I mean, I was here last year and the weather today kind of outweighs the weather then and this is a phenomenal experience. We're stoked to be here."

Cummings said "it's really exciting just to be here with everybody and when the crowd roars it's almost deafening. It's very exciting."

Erin will be a part of Joe Faris' Motor City Denim Fashion Show on October 23, part of Fashion in Detroit.

Fashion In Detroit is a bi-annual two-day fashion event created by Project Runway’s Joe Faris to put a fashion spotlight on Detroit and create a venue that fills the needs of many locally based designers and the Detroit fashion community.

Traveling through space and time from ancient Rome to modern day Detroit, Huntsville native Erin Cummings has had quite a year.

Cummings started out 2010 playing Sura on the Starz network series “Spartacus: Blood and Sand,” before appearing on a few episodes of the A&E drama “Mad Men.” This fall, she stars in the new ABC crime drama, “Detroit 1-8-7.”

Cummings is a graduate of Huntsville High School and the University of North Texas. While doing a play near Dallas, she was discovered by a Los Angeles talent scout. According to her biography on www.abc.com, she later went on to study Shakespeare at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

Cummings plays the role of medical examiner Dr. Abbey Ward on “Detroit 1-8-7,” with storylines that focus on police work in a notoriously violent city.

“It’s a show about homicide detectives in Detroit,” she said. “I have the unique and interesting role of coming in to a case and presenting a piece of information which could turn a case on its head and send the case in a new direction.

“When playing a M.E., you’re a doctor,” she said. “You’re not a creepy guy who hangs out in a basement and cuts things open. You’re a doctor, but you’re also helping solve crimes.”

This is the dress Erin designed with Joe Faris. You can bid for this dress here. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Karmanos Cancer Institute and Charach Cancer Treatment Center and the Sinai Center for Women at DMC Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital.

Check out the 4 page interview with Erin in the October issue of Biz X Magazine.

"We had a scene yesterday where someone had
something very terrible happen to them and the
prosthetics that they used on this particular
victim were very difficult to look at," Cummings
explains. "Having actually witnessed an autopsy
and seeing the real thing, it made my reaction to seeing this murder victim a little more realistic to what a medical examiner would feel than what I Erin Cummings would feel."

Erin has made a PSA for Breast Cancer Awareness month as part of her involvement with Project Little Pink Dress. The dress she designed for the project with designer Joe Faris will be auctioned off at detroitmagic.com on Oct. 8th.

Erin Cummings, actress, "Detroit 1-8-7," WXYZ-TV (Channel 7), ABC. She lost one aunt to breast cancer and has another aunt undergoing treatment for the disease. Full pink knee-length skirt with black seatbelt trim. "I made my skirt flared, and I also put pockets in it. I definitely wanted something that was more of a sweetheart neckline. Let's face it, it's breast cancer awareness. Let's celebrate the ta-tas."

Erin attended the West Hollywood event where PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) National joined with entertainment industry leaders to honor and celebrate the work of Ryan Murphy (CREATOR, GLEE & NIP/TUCK; director of EAT PRAY LOVE) and Lisa Cholodenko (Writer/Director, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT).